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A review by drtlovesbooks
Before Watchmen: Comedian/Rorschach by Brian Azzarello
2.0
What it's about: The first half of this collection follows Eddie Blake, the Comedian, through some parts of his career that were left unexplored in the original Watchmen, detailing his involvement with the Kennedy family and some of his time in Viet Nam. The second half does the same with Rorschach, following him during a case in 1977 New York.
What I thought: I LOVE the original Watchmen graphic novel, and I was cautiously optimistic about having stories that revisit that world. Now I know that optimism was misplaced. Blake's story wanders through the Kennedy's lives a bit before he heads to Viet Nam in a story that feels like a weak echo of what was written in the original.
Rorschach's story is similarly uninspired. The only part that was semi-interesting was a developing relationship with a woman, but that was turned into yet another step in his journey to becoming the dark and lonely character that appears in the original stories. And again, it feels like a hazy reflection of the story provided in the original work.
Why I rated it like I did: This is the definition of "unnecessary prequel". Nothing was added here that gave additional depth or insight into these characters. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great, either.
What I thought: I LOVE the original Watchmen graphic novel, and I was cautiously optimistic about having stories that revisit that world. Now I know that optimism was misplaced. Blake's story wanders through the Kennedy's lives a bit before he heads to Viet Nam in a story that feels like a weak echo of what was written in the original.
Rorschach's story is similarly uninspired. The only part that was semi-interesting was a developing relationship with a woman, but that was turned into yet another step in his journey to becoming the dark and lonely character that appears in the original stories. And again, it feels like a hazy reflection of the story provided in the original work.
Why I rated it like I did: This is the definition of "unnecessary prequel". Nothing was added here that gave additional depth or insight into these characters. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great, either.